Should a Christian woman work outside the home?

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TL;DR:

The Bible does not prevent a Christian woman from working outside the home. A Christian woman is called to glorify God and manage her household, whether she works outside the home or only in the home.

from the old testament

  • The woman of Proverbs 31 works in her home and outside of her home. She does what is good for her husband (Proverbs 31:12), makes sure her family is clothed (Proverbs 31:21), and provides food for her household (Proverbs 31:15). Outside of the home, she buys and manages fields (Proverbs 31:16). She makes and sells products (Proverbs 31:18, 24). Her children and husband consider her blessed and praise her (Proverbs 31:28). Despite working outside of the home, she still loves and cares for her family, managing her household well.

from the new testament

  • The Bible addresses the difference in roles between a husband and wife in several passages, particularly in Ephesians 5:22–24, 1 Corinthians 11:3, and Colossians 3:18–19. These verses emphasize the husband's leadership in the household, comparing it to Christ's headship over the church. While there are different roles in a marriage, men and women are equally valued and equally made in the image of God.
  • Titus 2:3–5 provides guidance for women in their role as wives and mothers: “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” Women are called to love their husbands and children and to work at home. This does not exclude women working outside the home as well, but it absolutely calls women to work at home.
  • Paul echoes the guidance in 1 Timothy 5:14: “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.” Women are to manage their households, looking after the home and those in it. This doesn't mean that a woman cannot work outside the home, but it means that her priority is to make sure the home is running well.
  • Women must manage the household in conjunction with the husband's role in the family. First Timothy 5:8 tells men, "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Along with being responsible for the household, the husband is to make sure the family has the financial support it needs.
  • Women traveled with Jesus’ disciples and even provided financially for the group (Luke 8:1–3).
  • Lydia (Acts 16:14) and Priscilla (Acts 18:2–3) were both businesswomen and given as godly examples of women in the church.

implications for today

Women, like men, can greatly benefit from and provide great benefit to the world around them by working outside of the home. Though work has become toil (Genesis 3), it is part of God’s good design of creation (Genesis 1:28; 2:15–18). Working a job can be an opportunity to use one’s giftedness for the glory of the Lord and the benefit of others. Whether paid or unpaid, inside or outside the home, our labors can result in satisfaction as we use our skills and gifts according to our design. Work can also provide the qualitative joy of setting and reaching goals. Paid labor outside the home often provides opportunity for community and encouragement. Working outside the home might also expand the reach of one’s impact, allowing more or different people to benefit from the expertise and skill with which God has entrusted that individual. Working outside the home can also provide benefit for the home, whether that be through financial contribution, learning of skills on the job, different perspective, expanded community, setting a positive example, or the like.

A Christian woman has a lot to consider when deciding whether to work outside the home or not. Of highest priority is living to glorify God in everything (1 Corinthians 10:31). A single Christian woman must consider where God is calling her to spend her time and talents, including work outside the home. A single Christian woman can use her gifts and talents to reflect Christ to the world, find fulfillment, and bring good wherever she works. A married Christian woman must consider those things along with what it looks like to do good toward her husband and to manage the household. This means her work outside the home comes secondary to her love and care for her household. A married Christian woman with children must consider all these things along with loving and caring for her children. If this woman works outside the home, she still needs to make sure the house is running smoothly—that her home is in order and that her husband and children are loved and taken care of. She may delegate tasks to other family members according to schedule and inclination, but it is still her responsibility to manage the household well.

It takes a lot of sacrifice to work outside the home, especially when finances are tight and a woman would rather be a stay-at-home mom, for example. It also takes a great deal of sacrifice to set aside one's education and workplace potential to care for those who do not have the capacity to appreciate the sacrifice. Whether a Christian woman should work outside the home depends on many factors: the family’s need, the husband and wife’s decision, the ages and stages of the children, and ultimately God's leading. Part of being a Christian is the freedom from worldly expectations—we should feel the freedom to live a modest lifestyle without two incomes, the freedom to accept God's validation over the world's, and the freedom to do what's best for our families despite the voices from either side. Whether a Christian woman works only inside her home or outside of it, she is called to find satisfaction and fulfillment in Him and to glorify Him in all she does.

understand

  • The Bible does not restrict women from working outside the home.
  • The decision for a Christian woman to work outside of the home depends on many factors.
  • Women are called to honor God and manage their household, whether or not they work outside the home.

reflect

  • How are you honoring God and managing your household in your current work situation?
  • What factors have influenced your decisions about working outside the home?
  • How can you prioritize serving God and your family both in attitude and in action in your current situation, whether working outside the home or not?

engage

  • How do cultural expectations differ from biblical guidance regarding a woman’s role in the household?
  • What are some ways the church can support and encourage women who choose to work outside the home? How can they support and encourage women who manage their household and do not work outside the home?
  • How can you help others understand the biblical perspective on women’s work inside and outside the home?